Burlington's unique business property tax hits some harder than others

Dan Ukolowicz looks at a wall in the back of his New North End brewery and taproom, and sees room for three more fermentation tanks.

The tanks, which cost about $11,000 each, would help him and his wife, Kara Pawlusiak, who started Simple Roots Brewing in their nearby garage in 2014, expand their production from 250 barrels of beer yearly to 500. But by adding more equipment, their business personal property tax, a city tax levied on the assets, like machinery and appliances, owned by a company, would also increase.

"We are not against taxes," Ukolowicz said in his brewery Thursday afternoon. He estimated that he pays about 11 federal, state and city taxes, and six or seven permitting fees. He said he pays approximately $2,500 monthly on taxes in total and estimated the business property tax is about seven percent, or $150 a month, of that burden.

"This tax is unfair," he said.

This is a familiar issue for the city, said Noelle MacKay, the executive director of Burlington's Community and Economic Development Office.

Read more: http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/2018/01/12/burlingtons-unique-business-property-tax-hits-some-harder-than-others/1015244001/